Tom Browning: My Favorite Opening Day Memory

In 1991, I hit a bases-loaded double late in the game to beat Mike Scott and the Houston Astros. I pitched well too! My first Opening Day start caught me off guard; I was more nervous than I expected. I struck the first batter out and my legs went numb. 55,000 screaming fans will do that to you. I didn't pitch past the 4th inning but we won.

Tom Browning, the Cincinnati Reds' ninth-round pick in 1982, went 20-9 in 1985 to become the first major-league rookie to win 20 games in 31 years. Tom posted double-digit win totals from 1985-'91, and on Sept. 16, 1988, pitched the only perfect game in Reds history. During Cincinnati's championship season in 1990, Tom won 15 regular-season games and picked up pivotal victories in Game 2 of the NLCS and Game 3 of the Reds' World Series sweep of the heavily favored Oakland A's. In 1991 he was named an NL All-Star after a 10-4 start to the season. Tom's career was ultimately cut short when he broke his arm delivering a pitch in 1994. He finished his career with a 123-90 record, 3.94 ERA and 1,000 strikeouts. In December 2005, he led fan balloting wire-to-wire to earn a 2006 induction into the Reds Hall of Fame. His book, "Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout", debuted in March 2006 and chronicles and his entire career.